You burn your mansion to the ground: THE PERFECT GUESTS.

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating and atmospheric thriller

In 1988, fourteen-year-old Beth arrives at Raven Hall. An orphan, Beth has been chosen to keep Nina Averell, the teenage daughter who lives with her parents there, company. She becomes part of the family, almost feeling as if she belongs there. But then Nina's parents ask Beth to do something strange, forcing her to question everything, and soon nothing will ever be the same. In 2019, struggling actress Sadie Langton takes a job as part of a murder mystery dinner party. She's amazed when she arrives at the location, a beautiful manor called Raven Hall. But once the pretend party starts, Sadie realizes that something seems off--and that their "host" is toying with everyone, including her.

This was an excellent thriller that draws you in immediately and never lets go. Rous gives us an atmospheric tale, with Raven Hall and the Fens practically appearing before your eyes while reading. It doesn't get much better than a creepy book set in a weird, rambling castle, right?

THE PERFECT GUESTS alternates between Beth's story, set in the past; Sadie's, set in the present; and an unnamed voice. Trying to figure out how everyone is interconnected is part of the book's intrigue. I definitely worked some parts out early on--others were a surprise. Still, the result is a very twisty and compelling read.

Overall, this is a page-turner with a fascinating plot. I'm a fan of Emma Rous and her way of sucking the reader into her books. GUESTS sets an atmospheric scene and offers plenty for mystery fans to puzzle out. 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 here.

I received a copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. It is available on 1/12/2021.

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But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness: THE AU PAIR.

The Au Pair by Emma Rous

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars


Seraphine Mayes has never felt quite whole. She and her twin brother were born at Summerbourne, her family's estate, and within hours of their birth, their mother died, throwing herself off the cliffs behind their house. The only real witness, Laura, the family's au pair, disappeared, and Seraphine and Danny, her brother, never knew what happened. After the death of her father, twenty-five-year-old Seraphine is going through his things when she finds a photo of her mother holding just one baby and looking oddly serene for a woman who killed herself the day her twins were born. Seraphine begins to further question what happened that day. Who is the baby in her mother's arms and what really happened to her mother? But Seraphine's questions seem to stir up a dangerous force, as if someone doesn't want her to know the truth.


"I flip the photo over, and my father's distinctive scrawl confirms it was taken on the day we were born, just over twenty-five years ago. I already know it could be no later, because on the same day Danny and I were born, our mother jumped from the cliffs behind our house and killed herself."


This was a book that everyone seemed to be talking about on Goodreads, so I picked it up. I'm glad I did. It was an engaging, quick read that kept me interested and guessing. The story alternates between the present-day, told by Seraphine and the past, leading up to the twins birth, as told by Laura, the young au pair. We learn that the Mayes family has a history of sadness and tragedy--especially when it comes to twins. However, Rous is very good as slowly unfurling her plot, letting us carefully uncover exactly what happened not only with Seraphine, Danny, and their older brother Edwin, but with their mother, Ruth, and with Laura.

The book is certainly weird and intriguing early on. It's very readable and certainly creepy at times. I did wonder why Seraphine didn't just take a DNA test from the beginning: at least then she'd know if Edwin and Danny were her brothers! There was a lot of hand-wringing and angst. Which, okay, I can understand if you believe you don't belong in your family, but it was a little much at times. There were a few cliches and predictable moments, but the plot was also really interesting and just dramatic enough to draw me in and keep me flipping the pages. I was fascinated to see how things would all turn out. And while Seraphine could irritate me at times, I overall liked both Laura and Seraphine as narrators and characters.

Overall, this was a good read--fast and twisty. I probably could have used a notepad to draw out the family dynamics by the end: there are some fun twists and turns there. It's a good book to embrace and enjoy the craziness and drama. It can be a little melodramatic, but overall a fun read. 3.5 stars.

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